Identifying the positive and negatives of youth sport

Youth sports are becoming more popular; the US has had an increase in participation in youth programs with approximately 45 million children and adolescents taking part per year. Conversely though statistics have shown an obesity crisis with one in three children now overweight with an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Children inherently do something (without being asked) for one of two reasons, their friends are doing it or it’s fun.

Coaches can play an important albeit difficult role here, particularly volunteer coaches who have little or no training. The more coaches understand the social needs and focus on the holistic development of each player the more influence they will have on sustaining their association with sport and physical activity. The benefits this has are not purely the physical fitness as a way to tackle obesity and diabetes. It also holds a great bearing on the social and physical development of the player and their attitude towards life, their lifestyle choices and social values.

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From research in the field of youth sport development it appears that an emphasis on fun while establishing a balance between physical fitness, psychological well-being, and lifelong lessons for a healthy and active lifestyle are paramount for success.

Bellow I’ve outlined key points for the benefit of any club or team looking to improve their operation and the future successes of its youth sport development.

2 comments on “Identifying the positive and negatives of youth sport”

I think a lot of the negatives can be overcome with the right volunteers. Angry, frustrated and aggressive parents/coaches take all the fun out of the game and out undo pressure on the kids. The more you can keep the parents focused on making it about the kids the better it is going to be for everyone.

Correct some parents do need their encouragement focused in the right way and you’re right volunteers definitely can and do help keep the best spirit in training. These key indicators are outlined towards head coaches or managers whom need to prioritize the positive influences and be aware of the negatives because they are training children not elite athletes and most of the positives of youth sport don’t come from the score on game day.